If you've ever planned a hen weekend, you'll know it's up there with life's most stressful moments. Maybe I'm being dramatic, but I think it's at least as taxing as moving house or planning a wedding.
Why? Because there are budgets to consider, expectations to manage, and the wishes of the bride to-be to cater to. As well as organising an event for a load of people you often haven't met before.
I just planned a hen do for the first time, and in the run-up to the weekend, I was offered endless helpful advice, from logging everything on a spreadsheet to hiring a caterer and making sure you get everyone drunk and it'll all be fine.
But now that I consider myself an expert at hen party planning (not to brag, but several of the attendees told me they wished I'd planned theirs – a glowing review!), I have one piece of advice that made the hen do a dream weekend.
The one hen party essential
The one essential for a perfect hen party? Book a dream house as your venue.
I booked Hillside Hangouts on the Farncombe Estate for my best friend's hen weekend, and it was key to the event being such a success.
We stayed at The Hoot, which sleeps 15 people over seven bedrooms. We were a smaller party, so every single attendee had their own room – and the delight on their faces when they learned they didn't have to share made all the planning stress melt away.
Two of the bedrooms had freestanding baths, while all of them were en-suite with either an ultra-luxe walk-in shower, or a shower over the bath.
If you ask me, when you're going away for a weekend, your accommodation should never be worse than where you live at home.
Going away, be it for a hen weekend, a family trip or a night with pals, a comfortable, luxurious home away from home is vital. Ignore anyone who says, "We'll only be sleeping there, it doesn't matter if it's basic." Booking a luxury hen party house was the secret to my successful hen weekend.
Shared areas
As well as our individual bedrooms, complete with breathtaking views of the Cotswolds countryside, sumptuous beds and spa-worthy toiletries, the shared areas made The Hoot the ultimate party pad.
It had a plush lounge with super-soft sofas where we could chill after a heavy night of drinking (there was even a retro gaming machine, for playing Pacman on!), but it was the kitchen/dining room where we spent most of our time.
Two dishwashers were ideal for making sure our wine glasses were always clean and that we didn't run out of plates, while two ovens made the perfect addition for cooking endless pizzas and nibbles (evidently I ignored the advice to book a private caterer).
The huge dining table was big enough for all of us to sit around for our decadent breakfasts and made the ideal base for late night Prosecco pong playing.
One of the biggest plus points for me? The TV was super-easy to cast to from our phones, so we were easily able to play Mr. and Mrs. on the big screen, while Spotify linked to the house sound system with the click of a button – there's nothing more annoying on a weekend away than when you can't get your perfectly curated playlist to boom out of the speakers, so this element delighted me.
The kitchen was perfectly stocked with all the utensils you could dream of; endless cutlery, all the cooking appliances in the world, plenty of plates, and best of all, plenty of glasses, so nobody had to drink Prosecco out of a wine glass – a pet peeve of mine.
The outdoor space
We were cursed with rain for most of our hen weekend, but any dry moment saw us dive into the hot tub on the deck – perfect for getting to know each other and enjoying a glass of wine amid the bubbles.
There was also a lovely patio for playing ping pong and a BBQ, but the aforementioned rain put paid to that.
When we did get a break in the clouds, we donned wellies from the estate's well-stocked boot room, grabbed the maps of the local walks curated by the estate, and set off to blow away the cobwebs.
Everything on The Farncombe estate has been carefully considered, from umbrellas in the porch to stay dry, to the housekeeping team who assured us nothing was too much to ask when we asked them to transform the twin beds into a king.
Activities
The Farncombe Estate offers all sorts of activities, including archery and duck herding, but we decided to entertain ourselves in the house. The space was so beautiful, it was a struggle to tear ourselves away, but on our final evening, we booked in to the estate's private dining deck, a cute wooden cabin nestled into the trees, where our own personal waiter and chef looked after us – there was also a disco ball in there and ample room for dancing, had we fancied it (we mostly wanted to get back to our robes and slippers in The Hoot – all provided for us.)
Booking a dream home
Let's be frank. Many of us dread hen weekends. You rarely know all the other attendees, you don't know what the dynamic is going to be, and you've often spent a small fortune.
But as the planner, if you nail the perfect accommodation, I promise everything else will fall into place. More than just a hen weekend, booking an amazing location means that as well as celebrating the bride-to-be, you've treated everyone to a genuinely gorgeous weekend away.
If your surroundings are lovely, everyone will enjoy the (potentially) cringe games, the copious glasses of rose will go down nicely, the food will be nibbled in comfortable silence, and everyone will walk away from the weekend feeling like they were treated to something special.